Vijay Hazare: a solitaire in solitude

Did you know that a kind of apartheid system existed in Indian cricket just eight decades from today? Not the vicious form of officially recognized policy of racial-segregation that dominated South African life and cricket. But no less despicable was the communal discrimination in India. And one of the foremost victims of that trend of thought was none other than Vijay Samuel Hazare.

When the Quadrangular cricket tournament was at its high noon, the Indian Christians including the Anglo-Indians had no place in the sun. The Britons in residence in India competed with the Parsees, the Hindus and the Muslims but they would not rub shoulders with the local Christians on the cricket field!

Thankfully as the nationalist movement gained momentum in the 1930s, the Indian Christians under the nomenclature of 'Rest' were welcomed with open arms for the first time in 1937 as the fifth team in the inter-community cricket tournament.

Just imagine one of India's greatest batsmen, Vijay Hazare, was not considered eligible to play in the country's premier tournament of the time, the Quadrangular, only because he happened to be of the Roman Catholic faith.

When finally sanity dawned and the Quadrangular became Pentangular in character, the magnificent Vijay Samuel Hazare reeled off those double and triple hundreds in revenge and retribution for all those seasons spent in isolation.

When the Pentangular began, Vijay Hazare came to the forefront of Indian cricket. Immediately he put everyone in the shade, including the great Vijay Merchant then a premier batter of the world. In the few years of Pentangular, between 1937 and 1944, he scored 1 triple century, 1 double century, 2 centuries and 4 fifties in only 14 innings with an average of 101 and an aggregate of 1221 runs.

After making his first-class debut in 1934 for Maharashtra, Hazare lost the prime of his cricket life to the World War II. Born at Sangli in Maharashtra in 1915, Vijay Hazare could make his official Test debut only at the matured age of 31, when he went to England with Iftikar Ali Khan Pataudi’s team in 1946. His debut was at Lord’s with 31 and 34. He had earlier been to England with the ill-organized Rajputana side in 1938 and hardly had any worthwhile exposure.

Despite the very late start to his Test cricket career, Hazare exhibited to the world that he was not to be trifled with. In 1947-48, he went to Australia with Lala Amarnath’s team and was an outstanding success. Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller, the foremost and fearsome pace duo in Don Bradman’s arsenal, held no terrors for him. Far from being bogged down against the best team in the world, Hazare alerted the cricket world with centuries in either innings in the Adelaide Test.

No one else had ever treated Bradman’s team, reputedly the best-ever in international cricket, with such disdain. He was the first among Indians to have scored a century in each innings of a Test match. Not against any namby-pamby team but against the best team in the world at the time and on their own backyard. It appeared that he was giving a fitting reply to all those who had conspired to keep his guru, Prof Deodhar, out of the India team in the 1930s.

In Australia his bowling arm created quite a sensation. Twice he dismissed the ‘greatest-ever’ Don Bradman by rattling his stumps. Once for 13 – Bradman’s only failure in that series – and the next after 201. Surely no mean feat. How many bowlers can claim to have ‘bowled’ Sir Don twice?

Vijay Hazare was nothing less than a marvel. Most certainly among the greatest batsmen India has produced. He played the fearsome pace of Ray Lindwall, Keith Miller and Fred Trueman without even thigh pads. The helmet and chest-guard would surely have been a self-inflicted insult. He played the swing and cut of Alec Bedser and Fazal Mahmood with rare composure. Even world-class spinners were hardly a headache for this man who appeared to have possessed the broadest of bats in existence!

But most important, he played on uncovered pitches as did the others of his time, where the batsmen were exposed to the vagaries of nature. This is one aspect of cricket that is strangely forgotten when cricket followers start comparing the past greats with the modern masters. This issue of playing on cover-less, moisture-laden pitches day in and day out required the best of technique just to survive. To master such conditions, one had to be a rare breed indeed. It was under such trying conditions that Vijay Hazare not only survived but prospered against the world’s best.

He did not have the benefit of any influential lobby in Indian cricket for any kind of support off-the-field. His was always a lonesome existence. A genuine protégé of Prof Dinkar Balwant Deodhar. Vijay Hazare never received any support from any quarter; nor ever asked for any. In fact he never needed the help of any influential administrator.

 In India even the very best generally require some initial ‘backing’ for the early opportunities. But not Vijay Hazare. His best friend was his bat and he let his bat do the talking. With a very non-conventional stance of bending low on the bat, the master batter dominated world cricket in the post-war decade. His hands on the handle were far apart from each other.

These technical issues just go to reveal that he was not concerned about any so-called orthodox, conventional methods. His patent stroke was the square-cut, for which he would at times draw his right-foot outside the leg stump and smash the ball in line with the stumps between point and cover. This particular stroke later we found Chandu Borde, Hazare’s protégé, exploiting to the maximum.

 Vijay Samuel Hazare stood head and shoulders above all his contemporaries by sheer weight of performance. His run-scoring ability and his consistency have hardly ever been matched, earlier or later. Twice he scored triple centuries in first-class cricket.

One of those was a gem of 316 for Maharashtra against Baroda in 1939-40, which happened to be his first century in Ranji Trophy. The other triple century, 309 out of a total of 387, was against the Hindus in the Pentangular Final of 1943, which happened to be the highest score in the communal tournaments of the time.

The domination was such that while Hazare scored 309, from the other end just 78 runs were scored! In the previous match he toyed with the Muslim attack by scoring 248, the next best batter scored 66.

These two magnificent innings proved that Hazare had the ability to tear an attack apart in answer to those who said that he could not decimate the opposition. Was it done in revenge for not being allowed to play in the Quadrangular? Hazare, a man of very few words, had no time for verbal duels. He preferred to silence his detractors through the broad striking willow of his.

As if this was not enough, Hazare saw to it that his name was forever sculpted in the annals of world cricket records. In 1946, with Gul Mohammed, he amassed 577 runs for the 4^th wicket against CK Nayudu’s Holkar in the Ranji Trophy final of 1946-47. This partnership of 577 remained the highest-ever partnership for any wicket till 2006.

 The partnership of 577 still remains the highest 4^th wicket record in world cricket. This is one world record that has stayed on for decades and might remain that way for all time to come. This would indeed be a fitting tribute to a man to a very deserving man, who shunned publicity like plague throughout his life.

On Hazare’s Ranji Trophy debut in 1934 the opposition happened to be the ultimate champion, Bombay. Medium-pacer Hazare captured 6 wickets for 73 off 43.3 overs to end Bombay’s innings at 286. In reply after Maharashtra’s initial collapse, with his guru Prof Deodhar (57) the young debutant Vijay Hazare (65) was associated in a 117 run partnership for the 7^th wicket. But Maharashtra finished at 260 giving Bombay a scare in their run to the title. An all-rounder was born to serve the nation.

 It is very conveniently forgotten that Vijay Hazare was the first captain to lead India to a Test match victory. For all their leadership abilities, neither CK Nayudu nor Lala Amarnath nor Pataudi (Sr) could achieve a similar significant landmark.

Hazare’s young lieutenants saw to it that England (then MCC) was defeated at Chepauk in 1951-52 to give India her first victory in her 25^th Test match. In that match, Pankaj Roy and Polly Umrigar did their captain and country proud with centuries. The ever-green all-rounder Vinoo Mankad was the chief architect of the famous innings victory with 12 wickets.

Following year, Hazare was leading India in England. The murky environment had the Indians in no end of trouble. But in those gloomy forebodings, one man – Vijay Hazare – stood out along with his young colleague Vijay Manjrekar. In the 1^st Test at Leeds with Bedser and Trueman on the rampage, India lost 3 wickets for 42 before the two Vijays – Hazare (89) and Manjrekar (133) – stood rooted to the crease to build a partnership of 222 runs.

 

In the second innings as India lay in shambles with 4 wickets down for 0 runs (yes, you read right, 4 wickets down for 0 runs), again it was the reassuring stocky figure of the captain who shouldered the crisis with a stolid 56. Such acts were frequent with Hazare the magnificent, but were never highlighted in the annals of Indian cricket history. His outstanding achievements always seemed to receive only a passing mention!

 

 In those days Test matches were hardly played on a regular basis. However, foreign Test players arrived in India with combined teams (far stronger than some of the current Test sides) to play Tests which were regarded as unofficial Tests. These strong, combined sides were known as Commonwealth teams

 

These teams had men of the calibre of Frank Worrell, George Tribe, Bruce Dooland, Sonny Ramadhin and others of international repute. Against such strong teams, Hazare made it a habit of scoring highly and consistently. At Eden Gardens, twice he met the Commonwealth teams and on both occasions he collected his usual quota of 100 plus runs.

 

Against the 1^st Commonwealth side in 1949, India was losing 0-1, when Hazare took over the leadership at Calcutta. Immediately a change was noticed as India went on to wrap up the series 2-1. After the magnificent victory at Eden when captain Hazare’s two unbeaten knocks of 175 and 31 helped to the level the series, he was chaired off the ground by the Gardens’ crowd. At Eden Gardens, they knew their genuine hero.

 

Invariably he led the India teams which were full of ‘passengers’, having been selected not on merit. Skipper Hazare very sensibly allowed the selectors to do their job and never got involved with any personal recommendations of his. He preferred to concentrate on his own responsibility of playing cricket on the field. It was certainly not the captain’s fault that most of our national selectors suffered from provincial bias and lack of integrity.

 

Despite his achievements as India captain, I personally feel he would have scaled greater heights as a batsman without the additional responsibility of captaincy. Like a true warrior he shouldered the burden. How I wish the magnificent performer was spared the negativity of the petty mediocrity around him, who formed groups with communal and provincial agendas.

 

Vijay Hazare enjoyed a very good rapport with the cricket connoisseurs all over the country. Eden Gardens seemed to be among his particular favourite, where he rarely failed. After his Eden vigil, along with his dear friends Hemu Adhikari and Dattu Phadkar, he would be welcomed at the Samarth residence on Lake Road for his favourite shrikhand.

 

He was indeed a phenomenon. No pitch bothered him. No condition upset him. No opposition scared him. While at the crease he was in a cocoon of his own without a care in the world. It was said that his concentration was such that while he batted he would not even speak to his batting partner!

 

Vijay Samuel Hazare did not enjoy the luxury of injuries and lack of form. He was a warrior first and foremost. He remained a warrior till the end in the mould of his master, Prof Deodhar. They were the disciples of Shivaji Maharaj – named Rajrishi by Swami Vivekananda – who would fight for the honour of their homeland till the last drop of blood. Hazare did not waste time and effort bothering about batting positions, team selection or match situations. Not even did he worry whether he was the captain or not.

 

While Hazare is praised for his batting prowess, there is a tendency to forget his bowling potential. He thrived on dual responsibilities. He had an unusual action. Rather than bowling over-arm, he had a very prominent side-arm or round-arm action, almost similar to the Sri Lankan Lasith Malinga. But that did not stop his out-swingers and off-cutters from getting 599 scalps in first-class cricket and 20 victims in Test matches, which of course included the small matter of dismissing Sir Don twice.

 

 In only 30 Tests over a span of 7 years, he scored 2192 runs at a most impressive average of 47.65 with 7 centuries. In first class matches he scored 18,754 runs at 58.06 with 60 centuries.

 

The great batsman was a great human being, too. Self effacing modesty was his hallmark. He was a generous man who influenced a whole generation of top-class cricketers, including Chandu Borde. The short, strong man strode like a colossus but with the feet firmly on the ground. Like his guru, Prof Deodhar, the immortal Vijay Hazare was close to the soil and close to the young players around him.

 

He was the role model of the 50s, 60s and 70s generations. At a time when cricketers continued to get chances despite repeated failures, Hazare’s career was cut short after just one unsuccessful series in West Indies. All his phenomenal performances were forgotten.

 

Just two months back in India, Hazare’s two sterling innings of 76 at Delhi and 146 not out at Bombay helped India to defeat Pakistan in the inaugural series between the neighbours. All these match-winning knocks were brutally ignored. Tortured and crucified, the highly disciplined spiritual man remained true to his faith in Christianity and cricket till the last breath.

 

Extremely quiet he was on and off the field. Hazare would guide only when asked. Never on his own initiative. He would never impose his will on others. The young players of Maharashtra, Central India and later Baroda found in him an inspiring role-model because the highly reticent gentleman taught not by words but by action.

 

It is to the credit of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that they have immortalized his name through the Vijay Hazare Trophy. When the grand gentleman breathed his last in 2004, he at least had the satisfaction to know that Indian cricket had not forgotten him.

 

Ironically he too was a victim of favouritism 30 years after his retirement. When the Sharjah cricket administration decided to honour former Indian players with substantial monetary packets in the early 1980s, the powers-that-be conveniently forgot Merchant, Mushtaq and Hazare. Their first choice in the inaugural year of 1982 fell on a wicket-keeper-batsman who had played 4 times for India and had a batting average of 9.5! Yes, it is true!

 

In the late 1970s when our Bengal coach MP Parmar spoke of Vijay Hazare he would first put his hands together and place them on his forehead and only then he would enchant us with the facets of his guru’s life. That’s the kind of respect Vijay Hazare received from players who were lucky to come in close contact with him. Respect he never demanded; he earned.

 

Hazare played in the Lancashire Leagues for Rawtenstall in between his long first-class career that stretched from 1934 to 1966. Later his protégé Chandu Borde too was a very successful and popular figure with Rawtenstall.

 

The magnificent all-rounder Chandrakant Gulabrao Borde found it difficult to describe the great man, who was his mentor in more ways than one. So excited was Chandu-bhai that he did not know where to start from and how to end the anecdotes. He would praise a certain aspect and suddenly deviate into another equally sterling quality. Very, very rarely would you come across such a gem of a role-model.

 

As a batsman, he was without any semblance of doubt among the best we have produced as yet. A solitary self who never bothered about any support on or off the field.